Feature Stories

Mercedes-Benz held their annual AMG Driving Academy event yet again, at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. It is that one night of the year where we get to thrash the heck out of various new AMG models, and the slightly new format for this year was better than ever. They packed in so much track-time under the floodlights that several of the others in our media bunch were quitting out of exhaustion by the middle of the evening. We carried on, of course. With cars like the A 45 AMG, the E 63 S AMG, the SL 63 AMG,

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What kind of people buy Toyota Corollas? Maybe the kind who walk into a showroom and the first thing they ask is “does it come with an automatic?” Maybe the kind who has a great job in the GCC and still keeps asking “how will I survive these high petrol prices?” Or maybe the kind whose first question to a Jaguar sports-car owner is “what’s the resale value?”

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Mercedes-Benz has just launched the new 2014 Sprinter in the UAE and Middle East. Just like the last Sprinter event we went to back in 2008, Mercedes-Benz emphasised on the safety features of the latest facelifted model.

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Another month, another Bentley. This GTC V8 is the fifth variant of the updated Bentley Continental GT we’ve driven in the past 18 months, and heck, it never gets old.

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The 2013 Dubai International Motor Show, held once every two years, has grown to become the largest auto show in the entire Middle East region. Regional new-model debuts included the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Chicane, the Peugeot 2008, the Ford Fusion and Ecosport, the Lincoln MKZ, the Toyota Corolla, the McLaren P1, the Nissan Patrol and Pathfinder Hybrid, the Alfa Romeo 4C and the SRT Viper, among others. Concepts shown included the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, the Ford Atlas, the Hyundai Genesis, the Lexus LF-LC, the Jaguar C-X17, the BMW X4 and the Jaguar Concept 7. Here’s as much of the highlights from the show as we could possibly cover.

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The Ford Taurus is a bit of an oddity in the market. It’s not an obvious choice for most, and given that its direct competition includes the well-regarded Dodge Charger, you’d be forgiven for dismissing the Taurus altogether. However, the Taurus is aimed at a far more niche market than the Charger.

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Al Futtaim Motors didn’t hold back at this year’s event when launching the all-new 2014 Toyota Yaris sedan in the UAE. It is, after all, one of their best sellers. With the new Yaris, Toyota are probably going to maintain their lion’s share of the sub-compact market once again, thanks to the new looks and cheaper entry-level model.

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Let me start off by saying that I was missing in South Korea for the past one week, not for a test-drive event, but to be part of a new programme by Hyundai, dubbed the Hyundai Global Club Invitation. It’s an event that involved flying in around 35 people from 14 countries who contributed to the cause of promoting Hyundai, mostly by starting local Hyundai clubs and such, while a handful of “bloggers” were along for the ride. Somehow I was representing the UAE there, although I didn’t know that when I agreed to go for this trip. Between the long flights and 4 days of touring Hyundai’s facilities as well as South Korea itself,

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When shopping for a hot hatch in the UAE, the VW Golf GTI is on every potential buyer’s shopping list, usually as the only choice. But when shopping for a compact car here, the “regular” VW Golf is never on anyone’s shopping list. In fact, the GTI actually outsells the standard Golf here. The Golf is generally pricier than its rivals, but we’ll see if the extra cost is justified as much as it is in its GTI sibling.

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The UAE is not a minivan market. Most of the vans trundling around the streets of Dubai are of the commercial variety, ferrying workers to work and tourists to resorts. In the midst of this, Honda has dropped their own minivan — a proper one, built in America and designed for families. While a somewhat popular segment in the States with several players, here in the GCC, the Odyssey finds itself almost alone in the face of a crossover onslaught. Still, Honda is doing well enough with local sales that they’ve now launched the facelifted 2014 version here, and shipped one to us for a run.

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